Discovery
by kittyore9
Summary: Keiichi, Mion, Shion, Rika, Rena, and Satoko wake up in a white room with only a T.V. inside. Secrets will be revealed as the Higurashi universe is unraveled and Hanyuu is shown for who she truly is. No pairings.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I know that I haven't been writing much and have a tendency to discontinue stories, but his one won't be like that! I actually finished this one for an English assignment a few weeks ago and have completed it. The ending of this story, I will warn you, is a bit…weak, but it still makes sense and wraps it up nicely. Enjoy!

*Text change explanations will be shown within the next few chapters*

"Ow! Keiichi get off me!"

"Ah! Sorry!"

Six children had been suddenly transported to a room and had landed in a pile. The room had a black floor and tan walls. There were a few a few couches circled around a giant television and they were a few feet apart.

"Where are we?" asked a young girl with dark purple hair.

"I don't know, Rika. Have you ever seen a place like this, Shion?" asked a green-haired teen girl to another teen girl who looked exactly like her except her hair had clips instead of a pony tail.

"Never, Mion. I mean look how big that TV is! It has to be fake or something. Can you check it out Satoko?"

A blond-haired girl, who looked about the same age as Rika, nodded and stood near the TV. She inspected it and said, "It looks real enough, but since I've never seen a TV like this, it still might be fake."

"Well, let's turn it on!" said a brown-haired teen boy who then rushed to the TV, before he could be stopped, and turned it on.

"Keiichi, you baka! That could have been a bomb!" said Mion, who smacked his head.

"Ow! Mion, why did you do that? It was a bit rash, but we're all fine. Except for my head, of course."

"Mion, don't hurt Keiichi! Look at the TV!" said a brown-haired teenage girl named Rena.

The TV flickered to life and a person's head appeared in front of a white background. The person had brown hair and dark brown eyes. Their hair was long, so the group assumed the person was a girl.

"You six have been taken from your world and brought into this room. One of you knows. Four of you cause. One stays hidden. One stays abandoned. All shall be revealed in time."

The screen went black and white letters appeared saying: Press play. An arrow pointed to ten identical remotes.

"What did she mean by all that?" asked Satoko.

"Well, one of us knows. Who is it?" Mion looked at everyone. "Well? Who knows?"

"Maybe we should just press that play button. The person who knows won't tell and the TV is supposed to tell us." suggested Shion.

Rika had already grabbed a remote while the others were talking. She looked over the remote and pushed play. The others looked at the television as it came to a title screen. It listed all their names, including Hanyuu's.

"Eh? Why are our names on there?" asked Satoko.

"Maybe they're there to show the videos on here are for us?" suggested Rena.

A piece of paper appeared on the floor in front of the television. Shion picked it up and read: "Directions: Press play. Push pause if stop in the program is needed. Note: Each video has the voice and/or image of someone either in the room or someone you know, but no-one will remember it happening.

Shion looked up from the paper and said, "Since our questions will be answered at the end, we should get started already!"

A/N: Kind of short, but this story is separated in chapters for this part and this one happens to be short. Plenty others are long, don't worry


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Second chapter ready! By the way, since I usually forget (like last chapter), this is the disclaimer for all chapters: I OWN NOTHING, BUT THE PLOT

_Text like this is song lyrics_

Rika, who still had a remote, pushed play again. White letters appeared again, telling everyone to take a remote and sit on one of the couches. Shion and Mion grabbed a couch for themselves, Keiichi sat with Rena on the couch across from the television, and the two youngest girls sat to the right of Keiichi on their own couch.

The white letters disappeared and a picture of Satoko's older brother, Satoshi, appeared. He had short blond hair and purple eyes, like his sister, and was smiling.

Satoko, who had not seen her brother in over a year, started to tear up a bit. 1 "Nii-nii?" She said this with a twinge of hope in her voice.

Music started playing from the TV. It sound like an ambulance siren at first, but started to turn into an upbeat tune. Then Satoshi started to sing, causing happiness and confusion to be spread throughout everyone.

_I wonder what everyone's doing right now_

_It's lonely to be by myself (right?)_

"What does he mean by lonely? Where is he?" asked Satoko.

_The home-run I want to strike for once_

_Even if I don't have motivation, even if I'm hopeless_

"Hopeless? He's the best player on the team! Irreplaceable!" protested Mion, who missed playing baseball with him

_When you try your best at any time_

_I will pat you (right?)_

"Of course, Nii-nii!" agreed Satoko.

"Maybe at the end of all this we will be able to see him." Said Shion

_From time to time I get tired but_

_Don't worry_

_Do your best everyone_

_I'll always cheer for you_

"There's Satoshi for you. Always caring for everyone, regardless of his own well-being." said Shion, smiling and shaking her head.

_Even if it's a little dark_

_Even if it's a little narrow_

_I lose my senses, so at times_

_I go berserk, but even so_

"Berserk? Satoshi is kind and sweet!" said Rika.

_Send the whole feeling of love_

_I plead you_

"This song makes Nii-nii seem like a crazy person! I don't like it anymore!" cried Satoko.

"Shh… It's ok, Satoko. The woman said everything will be revealed at the end. If we watch everything, we will find out about Satoshi." reassured Rika.

_Could I be on the side of justice?_

_The strength of the heart won't lose (right?)_

_I want to complement you more and more_

"Why is Satoshi being so negative? Of course he's justice!" asked Mion, confused.

"Maybe Satoshi did something he thought was bad and feels guilty?" suggested Rika.

"But he would have told me! Nii-nii doesn't keep secrets from me!" cried Satoko, upset at Rika's notion.

"Maybe…" Everyone looked at Keiichi. "Maybe he got the sickness Takano had. He felt he did something wrong when he was sick and feels guilty for it?"

Rika looked shocked. "H-how do you figure that?"

Keiichi looked at Rika. "Well, from what you guys say about him, the only reason Satoshi is mean is when he defends friends or family. Since he has so much doubt in himself, plus the fact he went missing around the time of the Watanagashi festival, he could have had Hinamizawa syndrome and hurt someone."

Satoko looked terrified at the thought of Satoshi doing anything to cause others pain. She grabbed her remote and pushed play, wanting to prove Keiichi wrong.

_Even if you aren't beside me, even if I can't reach you_

_Can you call out my name?_

_I can ask you a favor (right?)_

"Of course! At any time of day, the club will answer to your beck and call!" shouted Mion, while everyone else smiled and nodded in agreement.

_The person who can listen to my wish is_

_Only you Keiichi!_

Everyone looked at Keiichi. Shion stood up and leaned into Keiichi so their noses touched. "Since I recall that you never met him, how is it that his only wish can be fulfilled by you?" She was angry, even though she had a smile on her face.

"Hey don't look at me! I don't know what he's talking about~" then he got a glint in his eye and looked at Mion. "Maybe his wish was for me to get a kiss from Mi-." He was cut off when Rena decided to hit him in the head.

She shook her finger at him. "Naughty Keiichi! You need to think of others!" she then got starts on her eyes and faced Mion. "I get a kiss first!"

Mion backed into her seat into her seat. "No Rena!" She glanced at the screen. "How about we keep watching, ne?" She was smiling nervously.

_Wait for me at that place_

_I'll run there now_

_Even if I'm a bit weak_

_Even if I might not make it_

Shion and Satoko sobbed. Shion got up and sat next to Satoko. Rika went and sat next to Mion so the two could have a couch to themselves. The other four looked at each other. They had no clue how to help their upset friends. After a few minutes, the sobbing turned into hiccups. Rika hesitantly put the video back into motion.

_I'll pat you more_

_I'll pat you a lot_

_I'll present a large doll silently_

_For you, my precious one_

"Doll?" Satoko looked confused. "Nii-nii never gave me a doll." She looked at the others. "Did he give one to any of you?" They shook their heads.

_Do your best everyone_

_I'll always cheer for you_

_Even if it's a little dark_

_Even if it's a bit narrow_

_I lose my senses sometimes so_

_I go berserk but even so_

_Send the whole feeling of love_

_I plead you_

"You don't need to plead for love, Satoshi! We will always give it you, whether you want it or not!" shouted Rena, earning a smile from Shion.

_I'll pat you more_

_I'll pat you a lot_

_I'll present a large doll silently_

_For you, my precious one_

As the song ended, Shion and Satoko wiped the tears out of their eyes and smiled.

"Which is Satoshi?" mumbled Mion.

"What're you talking about Mion?" asked Keiichi.

"Before the video, the person said that each of us is something. Which one is Satoshi?"

"Maybe we should decide which one of us is each at the end so we're sure?" suggested Rena.

That decided, Shion picked up her remote and pushed play for the next video.

1. Nii-nii is an affectionate term Satoko uses to refer to Satoshi

Song: YellowsicKING by Satoshi Houjou - Kobayashi Yuu


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks to **Anonymas**, **Austin**, and **Berserker Luke** for reviews!

Now, for those who either dislike songfics or don't particularity like the character songs, this entire story will NOT be a songfics. There will be two or three more chapters of with songs in it, and then it will change. If you don't want to read these chapters then skip ahead.

By the way, I tried multiple times to make the spacing between the song and their words larger so it would be easier to read, but since I couldn't, if anyone wants me to try again for the songfics chapters, just tell me.

_Text like this is song lyrics/ dialogue that's within the song_

_S/M means both Shion and Mion_

_S means Shion_

_M means Mion_

~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~#~

A picture appeared with an image of Shion and Mion in Angel Mort uniforms holding trays in their hands. They looked excited and smiled toward the screen.

"_M: Happy Birthday, Shion!_

_S: You too, sister! Somehow it feels very new._

_M: Um, yes. I think that too. Like wishing that we were more normal._

_S: Stop! Mion hang in there! I'll keep doing my best too!"_

Keiichi scoffed. "Like you have, or ever will be normal."

"Keiichi! Shi-chan and Mi-chan are perfectly normal!" said Rena, a tad upset that Mion and Shion thought they weren't normal.

The twins smiled in thanks to Rena, then focused back on the screen.

_M: Open your eyes, it's time to learn a secret. There must be some reason we're here_

"Does anyone else realize that what Mi-chan said sounds sorta like what's happening to us now?" said Satoko.

They all looked at her. "H-hey! That doesn't mean anything! It's just a coincidence!"

_S: Close your eyes and bury the lies deep inside. There must be freedom somewhere that's not here._

Shion looked upset at that. She had to spend most of her life away from her sister and always wanted to be free.

_M: The two are like a mirror._

_S: A broken mirror._

_M: the head and tail of a coin._

_S: Back-to-back_

_M: A strange fate._

_S: An ill omen._

_S/M: Why were we born as two?_

"I'm sorry both of your lives were so hard." Shion and Mion looked at Rika in surprise.

"Why're you apologizing? It's not your fault." said Shion.

"Someone needs to apologize and since no one else will, why can't I?"

The twins hesitated before saying "Thank you."

"Hey, I can apologize too!" said Satoko, Keiichi and Rena.

The twins laughed and thanked everyone foe their concern, but assured them they were fine and their concern was unneeded.

_S/M: Why is it that our most precious things are the first to disappear? _

_M: Only sad events seem to increase._

_S/M: Even when I love so much I can't reach._

_S: Only problems seem to increase._

_M: As our minds become agitated._

_S: They only cross paths._

_S/M: Birthday!_

"What is this song about? Our birthday? Our lives?" asked Mion, who was getting aggravated.

"Maybe it's about you two looking over your lives on your birthday. There was so much heartache, but since it's your birthday, you're trying to be happy." said Rika in a sad tone.

Keiichi sighed. "These songs are all going to be depressing, aren't they?"

"I bet mine will be very happy!" chirped Rena.

_M: Accept everything and please smile! Don't pursue the reason. It's all in vain._

_S: Leave the loose red strings in the dark forest. Don't pursue freedom, it'll only end in tears._

Shion frowned. "I'm starting to think it's not about us being separated."

Mion nodded. "Maybe at first, but now it's definitely something else."

_M: The two are like puppets._

_S: Like broken puppets._

_M: Haunted by demons._

_S: Losing determination._

_M: Look the same blood._

_S: Flows in us._

_S/M: So the two were birds in a cage_

"Definitely not about being separated. What do demons have anything to do with it?" asked Shion.

"Could this be about the syndrome?" inquired a thoughtful Mion.

"Why do we keep coming back to that? None of us have ever had it, right?" asked Keiichi. Everyone shook their heads. "Then maybe these songs are just playing with our heads."

Rena spoke up. "But what if they're not?" No one could answer.

_S/M: Why is it so I want to destroy everything precious first._

_M: Cry out, until it becomes strange._

_S/M: Even though we look the same, we're still different._

_S: We try to confirm that by hurting each other._

"We've never hurt anyone!" protested Mion and Shion.

"Maybe you were right before, Mion." said Rika. "If either of you ever had the syndrome, maybe you hurt the other without realizing."

The twins looked at Rika in surprise and shock. Rika saw their faces and quickly added, "I'm not saying you did, but it's a possibility that can't be turned away."

"I hate to say it, but Rika's right. You guys saw how Takano acted." Even though the twins looked a bit sick at being compared to Takano, they had to admit he was right.

_M: As our minds become agitated._

_S: It only brings disaster._

_S/M: Last day!_

"Last day? Last day of what?" asked Satoko, becoming fearful.

_M: No! Please don't kill anyone else! If you hate me, then just kill me!_

Everyone looked at Mion, but she looked just as shocked.

"Sis," Mion looked at Shion. "do you know what's going on?"

"O-of course not! I've never begged for another's live and I definitely never asked anyone to kill me!"

_S: Ahaha! You know how to scream well don't you? I was sick of your awkward, false impressions too!_

"Shion-nee, why?" asked Mion on the verge of crying. Rika, who still sat next to her, put a comforting arm on hr.

"Mion, I swear I've never hurt anyone! I would never hurt you or anyone else!"

"That idea of yours more likely now Keiichi." said Rena.

"Even if I was sick, I wouldn't hurt anyone, especially Mion." Shion was crying at the whole scenario. "Besides, someone would be there and bring me back to my senses!"

"When you're sick, you're not in your right mind." Everyone looked at Rika. "You would hurt anyone you thought was suspicious or possibly in your way." Rika looked down, upset at the others' misfortune.

"But-but I've never been sick!" argued Shion.

"You will find out after the video." said a voice. They recognized it as the voice from the head they saw when they first turned on the television.

_M: Sister please! I don't care if I die, please, please!_

_S/M: I want to destroy everything precious first. Even though we're still the same, we're still different. _

"Of course you're different! Shion is much kinder than Mion. She would never hit me unless it's that bad. Ow!" Mion and Shion had smacked Keiichi on the arm.

_S/M: Our most precious things are the first to disappear._

_M: Only sad events seem to increase._

_S/M: Even when I love so much I cannot reach_

_S: Only problems seem to increase._

_M: As our minds become agitated._

_S: They only cross paths._

_S/M: Birthday!...Last day!...Birthday!_

_M: If then I had been given the doll properly, perhaps nothing would have gone wrong._

"There's that mention of a doll again." noticed Keiichi.

"Maybe Satoshi's song and our song are connected." said Shion.

"All thee of you couldn't have been sick!" exclaimed Satoko.

"And yet, it'd the perfect explanation." Said Mion, then looked at Shion. "Did you ever get sick when you were younger and stayed sick for more than a few days?"

Shion thought for a minute. "…No. The longest I was sick was when I got the flu for two days, and I definitely don't remember any dolls from Satoshi."

Mion nodded. "Same here. I'm sure we would have realized if we had had the syndrome."

"Takano didn't realize she had it and she's the one who studied and analyzed the disease." pointed out Rika.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the long wait, but I've been having a hard time with school (especially Chemistry!) I'm going to try and post at the very least once a month, but I will try to do it more often.

Thanks for reviews: Annoymas and Berserker Luke (Besides you two and Austin, no one else has reviewed…)

Text like this is from episodes or memory

**Text like this indicates scene change within the watched episode or memory**

'Text within these are thoughts'

If an entire chapter is basically an episode then I will just indicate which speech is outside of what they're seeing

Suddenly, the original person appeared on the screen. "You have peered into the lives of three. Now comes the hard part. You will be given true proof of acts done by these three and you must accept them, along with the one you all wrongly blamed."

A cage appeared next to the T.V. It was covered in shadows so no one could see what was inside.

"If you wish to know who the true victim is, your life overseer if you will, accept your sins." The head disappeared and was replaced by "yes" and "no" in white letters.

"The one we blame?" asked Keiichi, confused.

"Oyashiro-sama." said Rena immediately.

"What? How- I mean how- why would we need to him? How could we even do that?" asked Shion.

"If you had the syndrome, you would think Oyashiro-sama was causing it, so you would blame him. Since you three most likely had it at one point, you apparently need to tell him you're sorry." explained Rena.

They all looked hesitant, not willing to accept Rena's explanation. Rika picked up her remote and selected "yes", wanting to get the person out of the cage.

The scene that appeared was of Takano and Shion talking in what was likely to be the library.

"The consecutive series of mysterious deaths known as Oyashiro-sama's curse." Takano was saying. "Looking at each event individually, they're clearly based upon one train of thought. Every year, one person has a run in with Oyashiro-sama's curse and dies, while another is offered up as a sacrifice and disappears."

"O-one person dies due to the curse…And what happens to the other person?" asked Shion.

"In other words, the number of people who die due to the curse must match the number of people sacrificed."

"Sac…rificed?" said Shion, shocked.

**The scene changed to Shion and Takano sitting a=outside the building.**

"Onigafuchi is what Hinamizawa used to be called before the Meiji era." Takano said to Shion. "I'm sure you have a vague awareness of its "history of darkness", right? The history of the human eating demons, that is."

"Oh yeah, the legend about the human eating demons…" said Shion in slight remembrance.

"In that case, do you know the story about the mountain-dwelling half-human, half-demon hermits, who would sometimes come down from the mountain and capture humans for a feast?" asked Takano. 

"Wh-what story is that?" asked Shion, surprised.

"With the use of a belt, they would restrain their victims by tying them up. Then, similar to fish filleting, they would tug out the guts, and throw them into the river to float downstream. See? That's the etymology behind it. Watanagashi, that is." explained Takano, close to Shion's face as if gauging her reactions.

Shion looked up in shock. 'The Watanagashi Festival?'

"These are my research notes. I don't mind sharing them, especially with you. Part of Oyashiro-sama's sacrifice ritual would involve making the victim sink to the bottom of the Onigafuchi marsh. The marsh with no bottom."

Shion looked at Takano, frozen with shock. "So, you're telling me that every year, the "other" victim sinks to the bottom of the marsh?"

Then Shion thought, 'Don't tell me…Satoshi-kun to has…'

Satoko cried out, "Not my Nii-nii!" Shion gathered her within her arms and calmed her down, reassuring her that Satoshi wasn't there and Takano always lied.

A/N: Sorry it's so short. I managed to get sick while writing this, but I will try to update within the next few weeks.

If anyone has a etter way to convey the currently underlined text besides underlining, bolding, italicizing, all caps, and making font larger, I'd appreciate it!


	5. Chapter 5

IMPORTANT A/N: My friend commented that it was hard for her to read the underlined text so I should change it to italicized text since other text like such is in other chapters and there will never be an episode and songfics in one chapter.

Thanks for reviews Annoymas  and XxLavaxX! Love the reviews you've given so far (and everyone else too)! Unfortunately, there will be no more songs used in this fic, but if you want I can make a one-shot for it.

_Text like this is from episodes or memory_

_**Text like this indicates scene change within the watched episode or memory**_

'Text within these are thoughts'

'**Text like this is a mental conversation between Hanyuu and Rika'**

If an entire chapter is basically an episode then I will just indicate which speech is outside of what they're seeing.

Recap:

_Shion looked at Takano, frozen with shock. "So, you're telling me that every year, the "other" victim sinks to the bottom of the "marsh"?_

_Then Shion thought, 'Don't tell me…Satoshi-kun too has…'_

Satoko cried out, "Not my Nii-nii!" Shion gathered her within her arms and calmed her down, reassuring her that Satoshi wasn't there and Takano always lied.

Recap end

"_Want to take a look?" Takano asked Shion, gesturing to her book of notes. _

_**As Shion took the notes, the scene changed to a hazy scene of Mion and Rena talking under the bus stop overhang while it rained.**_

"_I would hear the footsteps, pattering along in my direction," said Rena in an eerie voice. Her eyes were pupil-less, making her look blind. "It would stand by my bedside, looking over me at night. The experience of being watched over. Someone, far away…watching, unyielding. Someone who is always with you. What Satoshi-kun is experiencing…everything is an early warning about Oyashiro-sama's curse,"_

"Rena, how do you know about all that?" asked Rika.

"I-I don't know. Something like that happened though. It was when I moved away. I felt like someone was constantly watching me and wanted me to return to Hinamizawa," said Rena, upset.

The screen flashed back to the head. "Guilt shall be lightened, and more will be known if you can forgive the deity who bears the curse,"

Rika looked to the others. "Can you forgive what this town perceived him as? Can you see him as good?"

"Hey, I'll give anyone a chance," said Mion. The others nodded in agreement, though Shion and Satoko were a bit hesitant.

The shadows slowly slipped away from the cage and a voice could be heard inside.

"Hauu… Rika, anyone, please, let me out,"

"Hanyuu?" said everyone, except Rika, in shock. Rika rushed over to the cage and grasped the bars. Inside the cage was a young girl with light purple hair and had two horns coming out near the sides of her head.

"Hanyuu! Are you ok?" asked Rika, concerned.

Hanyuu nodded. "Don't worry about me, focus on the others,"

Rika turned around to see her friends yelling at the person on the screen.

"How could you keep Hanyuu in there? She's a human being!" yelled Mion.

"The only way to get her to stay still and bring here to this place was to place her in there," explained the person.

"Wait a minute," said Shion. "Does that mean you think Hanyuu is Oyashiro-sama?"

"You're out of your mind! She's a young girl, not some God!" exclaimed Keiichi.

"If she was Oyashiro-sama, would you accept her?" Rika said, looking serious.

They all looked at each other. "O-of course!" Rena exclaimed.

"Right! Even though we would like an explanation, we would accept her for who she is," said Mion. Everyone nodded in agreement.

Hanyuu looked at them, tears in her eyes. "You really would?" The cage surrounding her disappeared. Hanyuu got up and was hugged by Rika who was crying.

Hanyuu wrapped her arms around Rika and whispered, "Hopefully they'll accept us both,"

They released each other and faced the others. The television screen showed the list of things the head promised to be revealed.

"**I'm going to tell them who's who. Maybe they'll be more accepting," said Rika.**

"**That would make things make more sense, but only tell them if you're ready," reminded Hanyuu.**

Rika nodded and looked at everyone, while motioning to the screen. "The person who brought us here told us that throughout our time here, all our questions would be answered. What she didn't tell us were the answers to who each of us are. Fortunately, I have the answer."

"You're the one who knows, aren't you?" asked Satoko, softly.

Rika nodded. "I know that the 'four who cause' are Keiichi, Shion, Rena, and Satoshi since they've had the syndrome. I know that 'the one who stays hidden' is Hanyuu since, before last month, she never truly existed. I know that 'the one who stays abandoned' is Satoshi since he is underneath the clinic without anyone knowing besides the staff and Shion,"

A/N: From now on, my friend Chaz-Rae will be beta-ing each chapter after it goes up (since e-mails seem not to be working and she doesn't have an account) and after she corrects any mistakes I'll re-upload the chapter when needed.

By the way, while writing this I found an awesome smiley to represent Russia from Hetalia: Axis Powers: (^J^)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks one again for the reviews Annoymas and James Birdsong. I'm sorry for the time it took to do this, but… you know…. school and stuff….. Well anyway, on with the show.

_Text like this is from episodes or memory_

_**Text like this indicates scene change within the watched episode or memory**_

'Text within these are thoughts'

Before anyone could retort, the television flickered, catching their attention. It showed a scene of Rena sitting in the library and talking to Takano like Shion had.

"_Um, you see, about Oyashiro-sama…" Rena was saying. "I've met with Oyashiro-sama before. Until grade school, I lived in Hinamizawa. Then, because of my mother's work, we moved to Ibaraki county."_

"_And you broke Oyashiro-sama's taboo about leaving Hinamizawa. Is that what you're saying, right?" asked Takano. _

"_That's correct. And then all these bad things happened." As Rena said this, scenes flashed of her talking to her mom, then to a glass-filled hallway that was dyed red. The original scene of Rena and Takano returned. "And, in desperation, I also did many bad things." She lifted her arm to show scars near her wrist. "I wanted to destroy myself, so I placed a blade on myself." The cuts started to bleed, but with small maggots within the blood. "And when I cut my wrist with a razor, several maggots rushed out with the gushing blood. What's more, they squirmed around, preventing themselves from falling out, trying to once again invade my body through the wound. So, I scratched at it. I clawed at the cut on my wrist and tried to dig them out. It was very itchy."_

_Takano grabbed Rena's other arm that was scratching at the cut. "Rena-chan."_

_Rena looked up at Takano and said, "That's when it appeared. Oyashiro-sama appeared. And it told me, 'There is only one way for you to survive, that is to return to Hinamizawa.' It's unbelievable, isn't it?"_

_**The scene changed to Rena talking on the phone with Keiichi.**_

"_There are several Oyashiro-sama teachings, but they all point to one thing. That is: don't leave from the village, don't let outsiders in. To begin with, why did Oyashiro-sama descend? That is because Demons emerged from Onigafuchi Marsh and attacked the village, but this is a misinterpretation. The Demons didn't emerge and attack the village. If you fall victim to what emerged, you become a Demon who will attack people," explained Rena. _

"_And what emerged?" Keiichi could be heard asking her over the phone._

"_Parasite," said Rena._

"_Parasite?" asked Keiichi._

"_Yes." The scene flashed to the marsh mentioned in the discussion. "This is a peculiar contagious disease that emerged from the marsh. A peculiar parasite that makes the people it infected to go berserk. Maybe it'll be easier to understand if I say it's a virus."_

"_Indeed that will explain the legend well, but then, are you suggesting that Oyashiro-sama is a doctor? It must have attempted to cure this contagious disease, but it didn't provide a cure, just preventive measures. It seems these parasites can only survive here in Hinamizawa, due to the temperature and climate. When the infected host tries to leave the area, they produce strong symptoms to try and prevent this. This effect is the truth behind Oyashiro-sama's Curse." The scene is skipped to later in the conversation. "__That means, to the fanatical believers of Oyashiro-sama, they plan to revive a highly dangerous parasite to revive the power of their God__."_

"R-Rena…" said Mion. "Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't anyone tell anyone anything! Why are all these secrets among us!"

"Calm down, Mi-chan," said Rika.

"Alright, Ms. Know-It-All, start talking! What's really going on? How's Hanyuu involved? What did Rena mean by Oyashiro-sama being a doctor if you say Hanyuu is? Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Mion was screaming at Rika, confused and angry at the situation.

Keiichi put his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Mion. I want answers too, but screaming won't solve anything."

Mion looked at Rika, then Keiichi and took a deep breath. "Alright, I'm calm, now start talking."

A/N: Alright that's it for today. I know some of you don't like that the chapters are short, but keeping them that way makes them flow better and get updates out faster.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Thanks Anonymas and James Birdsong for reviews. Guys, no offense, but since I know Higurashi is not a very often read fanfiction topic, I want some more of you to try and review. I want to know that more than two or three people are reading and enjoying my chapters. Please! (Ｔ▽Ｔ)

By the way, this chapter is basically a summary of the entire series and background, so it will be length explanation wise.

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(Recap)

"Alright, Ms. Know-It-All, start talking! What's really going on? How's Hanyuu involved? What did Rena mean by Oyashiro-sama being a doctor if you say Hanyuu is? Why didn't you tell us earlier?" Mion was screaming at Rika, confused and angry at the situation.

Keiichi put his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, Mion. I want answers too, but screaming won't solve anything."

Mion looked at Rika, then Keiichi and took a deep breath. "Alright, I'm calm, now start talking."

(Recap end)

Rika jumped a bit when she felt Hanyuu's comforting hand on her shoulder. Rika, looked at her, nodded and then faced her other friends once more.

"What Rena had said about the syndrome was only partially true. The parasite will not only attack its host when they leave the village, but if their queen dies as well. My family was originally descended from a long line of shrine protectors, but when Hanyuu came to the village, she fell in love with my ancestor and had a female child. The village shunned Hanyuu and ordered her extermination. Hanyuu's daughter was made to do it and she succeeded. After that, her daughter started to spread the legend of Oyashiro-sama to keep people within the village. The only reason Hanyuu is here today is because when our line produced eight generations of first born females, her spirit would return and be seen by that girl, essentially making her Oyashiro-sama.

"Since Hanyuu's blood is in our veins, the queen parasite is always this first born girl. Since I am the eighth girl, I could see Hanyuu since birth, always watching me and helping me. When the first June of Showa 58 came around, Takano and her group kidnapped me in the middle of the night and killed me. Hanyuu brought my spirit to a dimension filled crystals, each representing another world. She explained that she was the true Oyashiro-sama and that my friends would be killed because of my death. She brought me there to give me another chance at life and stop those who killed me. I went through hundreds of worlds with little or no success.

"I was about to give up and accept fate, but in the last world, we all banded together and almost won, but Takano came onto the scene and shot Keiichi. She killed us all. It was the first time I actually met the mastermind of this scheme. When I entered my next world, this world, Hanyuu was somehow seen by all, an occurrence that had never happened before. I realized that the reason we never won was because we never worked together, all of us, to bat Takano. Since I arrived in this world in the beginning of June, you all can figure out how the story goes from there."

There was shocked silence. Each face showed disbelief and sadness.

"Rika," said Hanyuu, the sound of her holding back tears mixing with her speech, "even if they don't believe you, know that you tried your best and had gotten the farthest in this world than any other. I know you've never told them, out of fear of affecting them, but you were brave and told them."

"Hold on a minute!" said Shion. "Just because we know all this, it doesn't mean we are going treat her different!"

"R-right! She may act differently, but she'll still be our friend," said Keiichi.

Satoko came up to Rika and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Even if you and Hanyuu are Goddesses, demons, or murderers, you'll still be our friends.

The head appeared on the screen again. "You have done half of what's needed. You accept Rika and Hanyuu, but can you accept yourselves?"

Rika's face turned pale. "You can't mean…" She ran up to the screen and pounded on it. "I accept telling them about me, but you can't show them their lives! They'll go insane! I found the perfect world, why must you ruin it?"

The others, besides Hanyuu, looked scared. Rika was making the other worlds seem like Hell.

Hanyuu took charge. "Everyone take a seat." While everyone got into their original seats, Rika was lead to a newly appeared couch.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thanks to Annoymas and James Birdsong for reviews. Won't anyone else join them for free cookies?

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(Recap)

The head appeared on the screen again. "You have done half of what's needed. You accept Rika and Hanyuu, but can you accept yourselves?"

Rika's face turned pale. "You can't mean…" She ran up to the screen and pounded on it. "I accept telling them about me, but you can't show them their lives! They'll go insane! I found the perfect world, why must you ruin it?"

The others, besides Hanyuu, looked scared. Rika was making the other worlds seem like Hell.

Hanyuu took charge. "Everyone take a seat." While everyone got into their original seats, Rika was lead to a newly appeared couch.

(Recap end)

The screen showed Keiichi sitting on his futon with Rena sitting next to him. Rika let out a sob. This was one of the most common outcomes of the worlds. Keiichi had remembered this world once, but his confusion and sadness would be greater, now that he understood why it happened. Hopefully Mion and Rena will forgive him.

"_I phoned the doctor, so he should be here pretty soon…" said Rena to Keiichi._

_Keiichi asked in an accusatory tone, "Why am I here?"_

_He then heard Mion coming into the house, saying "Excuse me."_

"_Mion? Why?" Keiichi was lost and looking very confused._

"_Your parents aren't here, so I phoned her," explained Rena._

"_Oh? You look like your back to normal. I was worried about you." She came into the room and sat next to Rena. "Rena, did you call the manager?"_

"_Yeah. I phoned him after you, and he said he'd come straight over."_

"_Who do you mean by 'the manager'?" Keiichi asked cautiously._

_Mion laughed. "Didn't you know about him, Kei-chan? When I say 'the manager', I'm talking about the manager! Kei-chan, recently you've started to enjoy baseball, haven't you? I bet he'll be happy when he hears that." Rena nodded in agreement._

"_Like I said, who's this manager?" Keiichi was getting aggravated._

_Rena laughed now. "The manager is the manager."_

"_Like I said, who is he?" Keiichi screamed, annoyed._

_Rena and Mion were laughing. Keiichi started to back away a bit. "Y-you guys…"_

"_Oh yeah. Let's get it over and done with before the manager comes. The punishment game," said Mion._

"_The punishment game?" questioned Keiichi._

"_The sweet rice ball homework…" explained Rena. She looked at Keiichi, her pupils becoming slits like a cats. "You totally forgot about it, didn't you?" Rena sat behind him and held his arms behind him._

"_Eh? What the hell are you doing?" yelled Keiichi._

"_Don't move, all right? Since it's the punishment game." Mion stood and uncapped a needle while laughing._

"_What's with that?" Keiichi demanded. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"_

_Mion looked down at Keiichi who was squirming in Rena's grasp, her eyes like the other girl's. "Kei-chan, you know about it, don't you?" She pushed some liquid out from the needle._

"_What...what am I supposed to know about?" Keiichi asked confused. Mion gave him a look and Keiichi remembered that Tomitake had died of drugs or something similar. His attempts for freedom strengthened._

"_Prepare yourself for this," Mion said. She kneeled in front of Keiichi and pulled one of his arms near her and started to bring the needle towards it._

"_No…Stop! STOP!" Keiichi screamed._

_Keiichi hit the ceiling light with a blood covered bat_, _causing the room to be cast into shadows. The shadows that were thrown against the wall show Keiichi pounding the bat over and over again onto Rena and Mion's bodies, splattering their blood everywhere. He stopped and dropped the bat. He stood between the bodies, covered in blood. His breathing came in pants from the exertion. The screen zoomed in on his face, showing his crazed expression. He fell to his knees and bowed his head._

_A/N: I decided to stop here so the next chapter won't be as short as I originally planned. Review please! (cookies?)_


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks to Annoymas, TheRoseShadow21, and Berserker Luke for reviews! Hopefully everyone will love how this story comes out .

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(Recap)

"_No…Stop! STOP!" Keiichi screamed._

_Keiichi hit the ceiling light with a blood covered bat_, _causing the room to be cast into shadows. The shadows that were thrown against the wall show Keiichi pounding the bat over and over again onto Rena and Mion's bodies, splattering their blood everywhere. He stopped and dropped the bat. He stood between the bodies, covered in blood. His breathing came in pants from the exertion. The screen zoomed in on his face, showing his crazed expression. He fell to his knees and bowed his head._

(Recap end)

_**The scene switches to a book on a desk with papers inside. **__Ooishi, the police man, is reading a note left by Keiichi._

"_The only thing I do is that it has something to do with Oyashiro-sama's Curse. Rena and Mion were culprits. There were also four or five adults. They owned a white van. Why this has happened, I don't know. By the time you read this, I'm probably already dead." A picture of a phone booth with blood stains is shown. "Please expose the truth whoever may be reading this. That is all I wish. – Maebara Keiichi."_

_**The scene turned black with words flashing across. **__Rika started to talk. "I want you to fixate your eyes… on the real me. I want to forgive…you, who are capricious. I want you to understand… the other me. Can you believe it?"_

Everyone was crying. Keiichi was hanging his head in guilt.

"You've seen enough," said Rika, shocking everyone out of their depressed states. "One video has changed you, more will do more harm than good!"

"We've already started, we might as well get it all over with," said Shion.

"But-!" Rika protested.

"Rika," interrupted Rena. "How can we accept and forgive each other and ourselves for what we did if we don't know what they are?"

"None of you did anything though! It was your other selves, the ones who were sick and crazed, who committed the sins!" yelled Rika.

"They need to know, said Hanyuu. " They can't be whole if they missing pieces. They're not the same as the others, but they are still similar. I think they need to know, more than anything, but I have another method that's more affective, yet harder to accomplish." She then faced the screen and told the head, "I know where your intended path leads. Mine leads straighter and clearer than yours though and I intent to implement it," The head smiled and disappeared. Hanyuu closed her eyes and a bright light erupted in the room, making visibility zero. Everyone covered their eyes, except Hanyuu, whose eyes were still closed and concentrating.

A/N: Short, I know but now we're getting into the explanations (parts of episodes and such) that will be much longer. I'm sorry for the long time between chapters, but the school year is winding down and hopefully after finals chapters will be more forthcoming.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thanks to Annoymas for a review! This will most likely be the last of the shorter side of chapters. Hopefully you won't all get bored with the long explanations and enjoy the story in its entirety.

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(Recap)

"They need to know, said Hanyuu. " They can't be whole if they missing pieces. They're not the same as the others, but they are still similar. I think they need to know, more than anything, but I have another method that's more affective, yet harder to accomplish." She then faced the screen and told the head, "I know where your intended path leads. Mine leads straighter and clearer than yours though and I intent to implement it," The head smiled and disappeared. Hanyuu closed her eyes and a bright light erupted in the room, making visibility zero. Everyone covered their eyes, except Hanyuu, whose eyes were still closed and concentrating.

(Recap End)

_**When they opened their eyes, they were in a forest lining a path to a mini trash heap. **__The sky was dark, but light came out through a flashlight, and was shining on a cabinet. A woman with a cigarette in her mouth held the flashlight and was inspecting the cabinet._

"Hanyuu, how could you!" Rika yelled, yet it was unheard by the woman.

"No one else can see, hear, or feel us. You can watch what happened to your aunt first, Satoko."

_Tamae, Satoko's aunt, went up to the cabinet to open it when Satoshi snuck up behind her._

Mon, Shion, and Satoko gasped, realizing what was about to happen.

_He raised his bat, yelled and bashed her head in, causing the flashlight to fall along with Tamae. He hit her over and over again, splattering blood over the items in the trash and the flashlight, _

_**The bright light flashed again, bringing them to the hood of a car. Inside the car was Irie, Satoshi and a stuffed bear. The group tried to grip the edges of the car since it was moving, but they realized it was unnecessary since they didn't slide off.**_

_Satoshi was asking Dr. Irie if his aunt was actually dead, and if so, when someone he sees looks like her, that it really wouldn't be her. Dr. Irie keeps on insisting she's dead, but then Satoshi starts to hyperventilate. Satoshi asks if what's happening is Oyashiro-sama's curse, while Irie insists that there's no curse and he needs to calm down until they reached the clinic. Satoshi starts to apologize to Satoko. _

This caused tears to run down her face from seeing her Nii-nii like this: broken and afraid.

_He was saying that he was being punished since he was going to use the money to leave the village. Irie tries to get him calm, but Satoshi starts scratching his arm and neck, believing maggots to be inside his blood. They reach the clinic and a team of staff brings the desperate Satoshi inside, leaving Irie to wallow in despair._

"Nii-nii!" yelled Satoko, attempting to follow her brother.

"Satoko!" Shion grabbed Satoko back, tears also staining her face. "I want to follow too, but we're not really here. We couldn't touch him, only look. Wait until we find him in our own world." Satoko hesitantly nodded.

"Since Keiichi's crime is similar enough, and you've already seen it, we will not visit his sin. We will visit Rena, then Shion. We will also see the few times some of you killed when you either weren't sick or completely accidentally," explained Hanyuu. They all nodded, prepared for the worst.

A/N: It feels like these chapters are getting shorter and shorter . I will try to update faster so they seem less short and flow better. Until next time!


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hey guys! Since my finals are over, I decided to upload another chapter in celebration of the end of the school year.

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(Recap)

"Nii-nii!" yelled Satoko, attempting to follow her brother.

"Satoko!" Shion grabbed Satoko back, tears also staining her face. "I want to follow too, but we're not really here. We couldn't touch him, only look. Wait until we find him in our own world." Satoko hesitantly nodded.

"Since Keiichi's crime is similar enough, and you've already seen it, we will not visit his sin. We will visit Rena, then Shion. We will also see the few times some of you killed when you either weren't sick or completely accidentally," explained Hanyuu. They all nodded, prepared for the worst.

(Recap end)

_**When the light disappeared, they were in the junkyard that Rena so often hunted for things in. Rena was talking to an older woman with purple hair .**__The woman was asking if Rena liked her, since she was dating her father. She was saying how they decided their future together. Rena told her in a monotone voice that she wasn't marrying her father and she wouldn't allow it. The woman laughed and commented on how bluntly she showed her resistance. She said the resistance was obvious since she always ran when they met. Then she asked what Rena didn't like about her. Rena hated everything and the woman agreed that the feeling was mutual. _

_Then the woman got violent and threatened Rena. Rena held her ground and told her not to enter her house again. The woman walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She said Rena could try, but it wouldn't work, especially since she was pregnant. _

The Rena of this world and their own let out a small gasp of denial.

_Rena yelled that the woman was lying. Rena informed her that she heard her talking to Teppi at the café and that they're blackmailing her father for his money. The woman looked around and commented that they were in a secret place no one knew about. The woman smacked Rena's face. _

Keiichi, Mion and Shion looked ready to go down there and deal with the woman, but Hanyuu shook her head.

_The woman yelled obscenities and smacked Rena, until she on the floor. The woman's hands were around Rena's neck and she struggled to breathe. One of Rena's hands fell off the woman's arms while trying to push them away, and landed on a shard of glass. She grabbed it and slashed the woman's side. Rena got up, coughing, and grabbed a rusty pipe from under her fingers. With a crazed expression, she raised it over her head and hit the woman many times in the head, bloodying her clothes and the surrounding area. Rena dragged the body, after dropping the pipe, to an empty fridge, and put it inside._

"Rena was forced to act, though. If she didn't kill her, she would have died," protested Mion.

"There's more than this. This was just the trigger," said Rika in a dead tone.

_**The light faded. They were still in the junkyard, but it was night. **__Rena was holding a flashlight and talking to an older, fatter man. The flashlight went dead and Rena went off to get new batteries. The man realized he had a lighter and he flicked it open. Rena stood behind him with her machete, but he looked in front of him to look for her, since that's where she was before it went dark. Rena brought the machete down and sliced a line down his head to his eyes, making his body fall forward._

_**A flash later and they were still at the junkyard, but it was now sunset. **__All of their other-world selves, besides Hanyuu, were there, staring at Rena who stood on top of her bus before them. Rena told them how she has looking to bury the bags of bodies in the river, but couldn't find a good spot. Keiichi spoke up and asked her why she hadn't come to talk to them. He said that they were her friends and they needed to support and help her, like a family. Keiichi even said she might not have needed to kill anyone. Rena asked that, had she done what he said, what would they have done? When Keiichi thought of nothing, she said it was impossible to help her. She said friends were people for fun, yet meaningless times, and when times are hard, they won't support you. Keiichi started to cry and ask why she wouldn't believe him. He may not of had a plan, but could have made a better future. Rena said this was the best, yet Keiichi said she was lying. Rena looked shocked and asked when she had ever cried. Keiichi insisted she was now, and she didn't even know. Keiichi admits this was her last resort, but he wants to understand and help her. If they all kept it secret though, it would be fine. Keiichi got atop Rena's bus and held out his hand for her to take. The others got on top and added their hands. Keiichi added Rena's and she started to cry. They loaded the bags into a wheelbarrow and left._

_After about 10 minutes, they were almost to their hiding place. Mion and Satoko were on one side, Rena on the other with Rika in the back and Keiichi in front. They arrived and threw the bags into a hole inside a cave. They deserted the cart and walked back the way they came. Halfway down the path leading to the cave, Rena stopped and turned around. Keiichi turned as well and called to her. She turned and Keiichi told her to rest when she got home. Rena nodded and walked towards the stopped group. Mion told her not to blame herself. Rena told them that it was just as everyone said and she couldn't fool herself. That no matter how much she glorified what she did, it was wrong. After everyone helped her, she had realized all this. If they didn't help her and clean up, that she couldn't bear the cross and be crushed. They walked back to the village in silence. When they reached the area where they left their bikes, Rena got hers and took off. Once out of earshot, Mion told everyone to forget what happened. Satoko agreed and said it was best for Rena. Rika commented that Rena was strong and that if they forgot, Rena would too. Keiichi said that if they always pretend, it will become true._

**A/N: **Long update! I'm sad to hear that some people have been getting their stories taken down without getting the chance to fix the problems. Hopefully my stories will stay, as will all of my faithful readers and such. Review!


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thanks for the review Annoymas and Partial Insanity! Hope your finals (and everyone else's) went well. I know the paragraphs are longer now, but I have been trying to split them up at appropriate points so they're less of a strain to read. Don't worry though. It won't be all just episode summations.

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(No recap this time )

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The flash appeared and left. Rena was crying from the love and trust her friends had shown to the other her.

"Don't cry, Rena," said Rika, her cute, young voice back. Rena looked up to her, smiled and nodded.

_**Keiichi was walking in the junkyard toward Rena's bus late at night. **He was holding a shining flashlight and shined it on Rena. Rena asked what he wanted and that she needed to leave since it wasn't safe. She held a backpack and her machete. She said not to follow and walked a bit away from him. She stopped when he asked about her bloody neck. Rena said she was fine. She had gone to the burial ground and found the bones missing; someone dug them up. Keiichi started to stutter and she guessed it was Mion, that she had betrayed her. Keiichi objected and said she wouldn't do that. They were gone since Mion moved them before the area was deforested. Rena said that she lied and she would tell him the real truth._

_The parasites were actually Aliens that controlled the human body, but a perceptive person found out and tried to tell others. They killed the person, Takano, and cloned her and Rena, who Takano had told. Rena scratched her throat, causing blood to fall. Keiichi told her to get a hold of herself; there were no Aliens and she needed to trust her friends. Rena whispered to shut up, Keiichi reminded her of the promise they made earlier between them. Rena said shut up again, but louder. Keiichi yelled at Rena to respond and she yelled shut up multiple times until she fell to the ground, clutching her head. Keiichi got closer, but she smacked him away._

_**They reopened their eyes and were now at school**. Mion told Rika and Keiichi that Chie-sensei got a call from Rena and went to meet her. Two young girls ran out of the classroom and screamed a second later, catching the class' attention. Rena walked in with her machete held to one of the girls' neck calling for attention and for everyone to gather in the center of the room. When no one did, Rena told Mion to make them do so. Mion tried to ask why, but Rena hit the podium with the machete, cracking it. They gathered and Rena tied all their hands with jump rope. Police started to arrive and, after a while, Rena called one of the cars and spoke to Ooishi. Rena asked if he was her ally. Ooishi confirmed and Rena told him that Keiichi hadn't believed, but now did. Keiichi sat next to her, untied, but had his hands behind his head. Ooishi asked to speak to her new ally. Keiichi told him that she was near the hostages. _

_Ooishi told him to say yes for yes and yeah for no. He asked if he knew the demands and answered negative. He asked if he was being threatened and confirmed. Rena took the phone after Keiichi only Rena was attacking and told Ooishi it was his turn to talk. She questioned the status of the Sonozaki investigation. He said others were handling it, but yelled it was taking too long. He told her he needed more evidence and she responded that she would give them Takano's scrapbooks. She was scratching her neck and letting drip. Ooishi asked to be allowed inside to get them, but she said Keiichi would bring them out. She hung up and gave him the scrapbook. Keiichi walked to Ooishi and handed them over. Ooishi put a listening device in his hand with pepper spray and instruction on their usage._

_He walked back to class and saw Rena spreading accelerant around the room. Rena said she was doing it, just in case. The police heard it over the device and got worried. Rena took her machete from the podium, turned it with the blunt side down, dragged Mion to the wall and smacked her forehead, over and over again. Keiichi told her to stop, but she said that Mion betrayed her. Mion was bleeding and not moving anymore. Keiichi got closer and told her to stop. Rena pulled out a lighter and threatened to flick it. The phone rang and Rena picked it up. While she talked to Ooishi, Keiichi put the device in his ear. The police told him about a timer bomb inside the school set for 15 minutes. They told him to find it within the school. Rika and Satoko overheard, so Keiichi asked Satoko, the Trap Master, where the bomb was. She said there was a cord, but needed confirmation. Keiichi told Rena he heard a noise and she gave him permission to look for it._

_He bolted down the hall into a closet with a cord leading out of it. The closer had fireworks and an alarm clock. He picked it up, but Rena came up from behind him and asked him why he had it. She said he trusted him and raised her machete. Suddenly Rika came from behind and tackled her. The lighter fell from Rena's grasp and Keiichi grabbed it. Satoko called from another room that she had found the bomb. Rika told him to go and that this wasn't her first time, so she needed to try. Rena told her she was going to die, but Rika retorted, in her adult voice, that she would play. Satoko said that kids had smelled gas this morning from the rain gutter, meaning the bomb was on the roof. Keiichi patted her head and ran off after Satoko gave him her brother's bat. He told the police the location and tried to go through a window to the roof, but since they were all locked, he broke it open with the bat._

_With a minute left, he bound across the roof and pushed the off button with one second left. The police cheered and the hostages came through the windows on the bottom floor. A policeman said that Ooishi needed to call back the entry team since the gas vapors were dangerously explosive. Rena came onto the roof and said that her plan failed even though she fought hard. She commented that if humanity perished, it was his fault. Keiichi said that no one believed in aliens, but if she wanted him to believe, she needed to win. She ran at him, but he blocked with the bat. Keiichi said if she lost, she would be his maid. Rena laughed and agreed it was expected of him. They started to parry each other's blows with no one landing a hit. The other students cheered Keiichi on and gave him advice on how to win._

_Rika suddenly walked out of the school doors, holding her arm. She walked a few feet and collapsed, catching some armed policemen's attention. Mion and Satoko rushed up to her and made sure she was alright, then brought her over to where they were standing before. On the roof, Keiichi reminded Rena of the time they had a water gun battle and compared the tension to that. Keiichi and Rena stopped battling for a minute for Keiichi to confirm with her the terms of their deal. Rena said that prize was boring and wanted the same one as Keiichi. They both agreed that this was fun, and ran at each other for the final blow. Keiichi's bat flew out of his hands and off the roof._

_Rena sat atop him wither machete raised. Keiichi told her that she wouldn't finish the match until she swung the machete down, but Rena started to cry and said she didn't want to. She questioned what had gone wrong and why her belief had shattered. Keiichi was shocked that she could recognize her mistake and congratulated her. Rena commented on her mistreatment of Mion, but Keiichi said she could apologize later. Keiichi shuffled over to her and hugged her while reassuring it was all fine. On the ground, Rika began to cry._

_**Another flash of landed them inside Ooishi's car with Rika in the backseat. **They could somehow her what Rika was thinking. _

'_The key to everything. To forgive each other, to promise each other. That should have been the magic key to defeat those demons of suspicion that lurk within. However, even armed with that key, there is still a mystery in Hinamizawa that remains locked. Yes, that's how it is. All right. I'll play the game with this endless June. As much as you please.'_

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out, but I've had no time and just haven't had the energy to type it up.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm truly sorry for how long I've been away from this story, but I'm fully ready and prepared to continue, and finish, the story. After this one, there's less than ten more chapters, which I will get started typing A.S.A.P. Thanks to Annoymas for their review on the last chapter!

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'**Text like this is a mental conversation between Hanyuu and Rika'**

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_**Another flash of landed them inside Ooishi's car with Rika in the backseat.**____They could somehow hear what Rika was thinking._

'_The key to everything. To forgive each other, to promise each other. That should have been the magic key to defeat those demons of suspicion that lurk within. However, even armed with that key, there is still a mystery in Hinamizawa that remains locked. Yes, that's how it is. All right. I'll play the game with this endless June. As much as you please.'_

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**The flash was different this time. Instead of fading to a new place, it just stayed. It was like a plain white room that went on forever. **Rena was crying.

"How could I have hurt you all like that? I could have killed Mion and nearly sliced Keiichi!" Rena yelled.

Mion and Keiichi looked at each other and Mion took charge. "Alright, look everyone. We all understand that we did those things when we were sick and out of our heads. We get that everything was unintentional and full of regret, so no one should get blamed for their actions, alright?" They all nodded in agreement.

Hanyuu smiled and transported them to Shion's world.

As they were being transported, Rika thought to Hanyuu, _**'They're very accepting of all this. Maybe they can forgive without succumbing to previous fates."**_

Hanyuu sighed mentally and replied, _**'I hope so. Hopefully I'm not going too fast and can learn to adapt like you have.'**_

_**When they could see, their eyes showed them a dungeon. **__Shion and Mion automatically identified it as one of the chambers beneath their house and told the others._

_The Shion of this world was sitting on a bench talking to the head of the family who was tied and hanging by a chain that just barely allowed him to stand. Shion told him she would lengthen the chain for each answered question. She went over to a machine and released it enough for him to fall to the ground and talk to her. He insisted he knew nothing, so she asked for his opinion. When he refused to answer, she raised the chain to force him to sit up and look at her._

_He apologized and she lengthened the chain. She asked the question again. He said it was hard to think he was alive. Shion became irritated, walked up to him, and kneeled. She said Satoshi only disappeared because he was a Houjou. They then discussed the rumors involving Satoshi's murder, until Shion asked who was responsible. They family head responded that he didn't know, but Shion retorted that a corpse was never found. The man raised his head and looked at the doors behind Shion. She turned around and ran through them to a room of cells. She walked into one that contained a cliff. She screamed downwards for Satoshi, but with no answer in return. She walked out and up to a cell containing Mion in a torn, white dress. Shion told her that she found Satoshi in the hole and asked if she was present during the murder. Mion wearily said she wasn't, but if she had been, she would have stopped it. Shion began to scream and kick the metal bars, saying that Mion was lying and she should have saved him._

_**When they reopened their eyes, they saw Mion **_("It's really Shion dressed as Mion," Rika corrected.) _**kneeling with Rika standing next to her.**_ _Rika sprayed something on Shion that burned her eyes, forcing her to the floor. Rika pulled her up by her ponytail and flipped her over. She took a needle full of yellow liquid from her pocket, but Shion grabbed her arms, forcing her to spray again, getting it in her own eyes._ _Shion grabbed the opportunity and threw her off. Shion stood and took out a taser from her pocket and challenged Rika to come closer. They stood still for a few seconds until Shion kicked up some newspapers to block Rika's vision, and then shocked her with the taser, causing her to fall and drop the spray. Shion came over and kicked the needle out from Rika's hand. She grabbed it and injected it into Rika. Rika started to convulse and cough. Shion laughed as Rika stood and moved over to a table that had a butcher's knife atop it._

_She picked it up and walked over to the wall across from Shion. Shion told her that she couldn't resist any torture because of her weak body. Rika agreed and told Shion that she'd rather leave. Shion laughed and told her to try if she could. Rika held the knife like she was going to stab Shion, prompting Shion to hold out the taser again, but she held the knife so the handle was on the wall and the tip faced her head. She pushed her head onto the knife multiple times until the knife fell, along with Rika, onto the ground in a bloody pool. Shion laughed and cheered that she had finally killed all responsible for Satoshi's death._

A/N: With school starting up again next week, updates will be far between each other, but I will not forget about this story and I WILL finish it! :) Remember to leave me a review below!


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm truly surprised how many people looked at this story yesterday. If you add it to my other story, The Potter Family, it was almost 600, the most it's been in a while :) Shoutout to Arashi Wolf Princess (she had hundreds of great stories!)

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_She picked it up and walked over to the wall across from Shion. Shion told her that she couldn't resist any torture because of her weak body. Rika agreed and told Shion that she'd rather leave. Shion laughed and told her to try if she could. Rika held the knife like she was going to stab Shion, prompting Shion to hold out the taser again, but she held the knife so the handle was on the wall and the tip faced her head. She pushed her head onto the knife multiple times until the knife fell, along with Rika, onto the ground in a bloody pool. Shion laughed and cheered that she had finally killed all responsible for Satoshi's death._

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_**They were back in the dungeons, but instead of being inside the cells, they saw the room the village head was kept in. **__Shion opened the doors so Mion could see and hear from the cell. In the room, Shion stood in a white robe looking at Satoko who was strapped down to a bloody cross that held her up straight at eye level with Shion. Shion commented on how Satoko had to watch the other man's struggle for life. Satoko asked how she could kill everyone and what planned to do with her. Shion calmly responded that she would kill her. Satoko started to freak out and Mion screamed for her to stop. Shion said that since she didn't beg for Satoshi, it was her sin._

_Suddenly, Shion stabbed Satoko's arm, making blood spurt out and Mion begged for her to be killed instead of Satoko. Shion yelled that no matter how much Mion yelled, she would be ignored and taste her suffering. Shion stabbed her again and Mion yelled again. Shion said if Mion could say sorry one thousand times, she'd let Satoko go. As Mion said it about fifteen times, Shion stabbed her twice. Satoko went unconscious for a second, but Shion smacked her._

_Shion told her that she always made life harder for Satoshi, causing Satoko to cry for him to come. Shion asked if Satoko ever knew the burden she put on Satoshi and that he was neither a her or immortal. Shion then stabbed her multiple times, until she stopped crying, making Shion assume that her arm went numb, so she stabbed the other hand._

_Satoko didn't make a sound and when Shion noticed, Satoko told her that she knew how much of a burden she was, but when he returned she would prove that she grew up. Shion started to get mad when Satoko kept on insisting Satoshi was coming back. She stabbed her repeatedly, Satoko insisting she wouldn't cry. Shion finally stabbed her in the chest, killing her. Shion began to laugh, then remembered that Satoshi trusted her to watch Satoko while he was gone. She decided that she didn't care and kept laughing. _

_They were still in the dungeons, but in a different room. Keiichi was strapped down to an x-shaped device that held each of his fingers apart. Shion had smashed something on his head since blodd tricked down onto the device. When Keiichi awoke, Shion told him that she made Mion listen to her victims' screams. Keiichi said that Shion had to be a demon. He begs Shion's demon to her back control, but Shion just laughs and insists that the demon had been around for a while, just repressed within her. The demon came out when Keiichi didn't give a doll to Mion and caused her heartache, bringing memories of Satoshi back to her. Shion told him that she never hesitated with the others, but Keiichi told her that compared to her pain, it was nothing. He asked for two things, however. He asked for Mion to be freed and Shion to get her body back._

_Shion put down the nail and hammer she was holding over Keiichi's hand, surprised, and asked why he didn't ask to be spared. He said if he had another request, that's what it would be. Shion leaned over him and said that he could only have two, even though she probably wouldn't keep them anyway. She explained that returning the body was impossible, but she wouldn't mind sparing his life. She asked him to listen and they heard the police that Rena had called. He reminded her that he promised that whatever happened, the Mion_ (he believes the person on top of him is Mion) _he knew wouldn't change. Shion told him to not come near her if he saw her again since she was possessed. She got off of the device and took out a taser, shocking him in the neck, which was covered by a metal restraint band, and rendering him unconscious._

_They saw a quick scene of Shion wearing Mion's dress and Mion wearing Shion's robe. Shion had a taser on Mion's hip and had just used it on her. Mion fell slowly down into the hole for a second until a thump was heard as she hit the bottom. Shion fell to her knees and smiled._

_Keiichi was in front of his house talking to Shion with a bandage wrapped around his head. He was asking if she was alright. She said she tried to hold it until now, but couldn't anymore and began to laugh. Keiichi got nervous and told her not to overdo things. Shion took her knife and stabbed his gut, bringing him to his knees. Shion screamed that she killed them all and Satoshi needed to praise her. She ran back home and as she was passing between beams on the outside of the building, she got caught on a nail and her clothes ripped. She lost her momentum and fell to her death while reaching upward as if to grasp the moon._

(A/N: I was going to stop it here, but I'm feeling extra nice, so I'm going to combine this with the next chapter that was going to be a kinda short….)

Hanyuu could see how this world affected them and brought them to the white room again. Satoko, Shion and Rika were crying while the others tried to comfort them.

"H-how could I do that?! To Satoko! To Mion! To Kei-chan!" Shion screamed and dissolved into sobs. Mion enveloped her in a hug, letting her latch onto her for comfort.

"Hanyuu," said a teary Satoko, catching her attention, "how many more?"

Hanyuu smiled. "Only one more world and a small portion of this world." Hanyuu then frowned and her voice took on a more upset tone. "I know this wasn't the best way to tell you all, but I don't regret doing it. You needed to know and this way makes it feel personal while at the same time it doesn't make you feel what actually happened like memories would."

Keiichi, who was trying to comfort Rika, came over to Hanyuu and knelt to her eye level. "You didn't need to explain yourself. We understood that form the start. You obviously would never try to hurt us and want to help us."

The tears that were forming in her eyes were quickly wiped away. As she saw the others compose themselves, either to get everything over with or because they actually felt better, she gathered her power and transported them to the world where had first discovered it was Takano and won against fate for the first time.

A/N: If any of you are reading The Potter Family or have any interest in it, please take part of the poll on my profile. The next chapter of this story will be up soon! :)


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Another chapter already up! I'm on a roll this week!

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(No recap this time)

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_**The light left and they saw Rika running the forest, looking for something on the path.**__ Suddenly, Tomitake came from the other direction and she nearly crashed into him. He jumped, but calmed when he saw who it was. Rika then grabbed his arm near the elbow, stepped towards him, and asked if he already went inside. He rubbed the back of his head in confusion, but smiled as he told her he didn't understand the question. Rika pushed harder into his arm with her thumbs and yelled for him to stop trying to fool her. He turned away, stopped smiling, and coughed lightly into his hand, causing Rika to release his arm. He told her he was going to leave and when he walked a few paces behind her, she told him to be careful. She said that he and Takano would be killed that night. He gasped in shock and nervously laughed. He laughed and she yelled that it wasn't a laughing matter. He showed less fear and more amusement as he jokingly asked if she was going to curse them. Rika clenched her jaw as she tried to hold in the teats, but he just said that he hoped she didn't curse them. He turned back around, gave a chuckle, and walked away. _

_As soon as he was out of earshot, she collapsed to her knees and tears fell onto the ground. Her body shook with sobs s she said how useless it all was. She closed her eyes and dug her nails into the soil. Suddenly Satoko partially appeared from her hiding spot behind a tree next to Rika, but didn't reveal herself. In the background, you could hear Tomitake's screams pierce the night._

_**They were near the Furude Shrine and about five men in gray uniforms were carrying a brown sack. **__They carry it up the step and place it behind the well covered by a grate. They surrounded it with knives in hand. When they opened the sack, it was revealed to the teens that Rika had been inside. Hanyuu took pity on them and the skipped to the part when Satoko finds her. Satoko walked up the steps, calling Rika's name, trying to find her. She saw crows pecking something and when they dispersed, she saw Rika's bloody body. The blood was surrounding Rika and slightly covered her naked body, but leaked down the stairs. Satoko screamed in horror. The scene shifts to Satoko walking up to the school window, covered in blood. Men in gas masks were inside, going through everything. Piled everywhere were all the members of the village with the exceptions of Satoko and Rika. Satoko screams out and the men who are inspecting outside start coming over to make sure the sole survivor is ok._

_**The next place was somewhere no one, but Rika and Hanyuu, recognized. **__The whole place was purple and triangular crystals were floating everywhere with moving pictures of the group inside. There was only one light, and it reflected slightly on each crystal. The only other person they could see was Rika, but she was purple like everything else._

"Where are we?" asked Mion

"We're in my world. It's a place that only Rika and I can enter. It holds every world we've been into and the ones we can try next," explained Hanyuu.

"Then how are we here?" asked Satoko.

"You're not," said Rika. "We're only here in mind. Those with Hanyuu's permission can be brought here that way."

"I've brought you to a time between our last world and the one before," said Hanyuu before the other Rika began to talk.

"_I am born repeatedly into the Hinamizawa of June 1983, experiencing the same timeline. Each time, the world changes, as shown by its inhabitants' actions and the cause of my death. As you have seen these worlds along with me, I believe you already know this, but these worlds have several Rules they must obey."_

_Suddenly the world shifts to show Keiichi murdering Mion and Rena._

"_For example, in this world, Maebara Keiichi was possessed by his bizarre persecution complex…"_

_Then it shifts to Shion murdering Satoko._

"_In this world, Sonozaki Shion committed atrocious murder after murder…"_

_Then it turned to Rena overpowering the school and fighting Keiichi. _

"_In this world, Ryuuguu Rena believed that the Sonozaki Family were involved with an invading alien species…"_

_Then the world returns to its previous state._

"_Everyone, each and every one of them, is genuinely caring and kind. But even so, when the gears of Fate turn, they become controlled by their delusional thoughts, and begin to engage in destructive violence. However, the perpetrator of such actions changes each time, depending on coincidental circumstances. Another Rule. The three deaths that are believed to be connected to the Hinamizawa Chain of Bizarre Deaths. On the night of the Watanagashi, Tomitake and Takano are killed by someone, and not too long after, I will also be killed."_

"Hold on, neither of them died," said Keiichi, confused.

"This is the only world when he didn't. Takano's was always a fake," said Rika, now talking in her adult voice.

"_These are not accidental, as they inevitably occur in every world. To say this in another way, a powerful will wanted this to occur. I have experienced countless worlds, and have knowledge that no one else could. But, I still do not know who killed me, nor for what reason. As for these Bizarre Deaths, there is a rumor that the Sonozaki Family is involved."_

_The world flashes to Shion and Rika's fight._

"_In truth, in this world, Sonozaki Shion did try to kill me."_

_It transforms into scenes of Satoko being with her uncle and being in school._

"_This too is another dead-end world. Satoko's uncle returned to Hinamizawa, and began abusing her. There was nothing we could do."_

_The purple backdrop returned._

"_I want to protect everyone precious to me…to break through Fate's Maze and reach that happy future. Here, another new Hinamizawa will be born. This time, will I be able to save everyone? Or… will I, once again, not be able to do anything but watch the world's end?"_

_The other Rika reaches her hand out._

"_Let's go, Hanyuu… To the new Hinamizawa…"_

A/N: Alright! Three to four more chapters left! The story may even be done before the end of the month at this rate!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Hey everyone! I've grateful for all the attention my stories have been getting lately. Check out my favorites list for hundreds of other great stories from many fandoms.

www. fanfiction u/ 1729331/ kittyore9 (remove spaces) –for those of us who can't seem to find my profile or, for some reason, can't click on it.

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"_I want to protect everyone precious to me…to break through Fate's Maze and reach that happy future. Here, another new Hinamizawa will be born. This time, will I be able to save everyone? Or… will I, once again, not be able to do anything but watch the world's end?"_

_The other Rika reaches her hand out._

"_Let's go, Hanyuu… To the new Hinamizawa…"_

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_**The world flashed, but instead of a scene, it was the new Hinamizawa. **__Rika was laying on the ground, covered in dirt. The others in the group of this world looked down, saying they'd be right down. She say up._

"_Hanyuu!" she called, looking around. Hanyuu appeared next to her, but looking transparent._

"_When is this? What is the day, month and year?"_

_Hanyuu started to make noises and closed her eyes._

"_Pull yourself together!" Rika yelled. "If you were here before I was, you should know!"_

_Hanyuu nervously said, "It's 1983… early June… the Watanagashi Festival is the Sunday after next." She started counting on her fingers. "Meaning… ahmmm…ahmmm…"_

_Rika looked away, suddenly angry. "I can't believe this. That's all the time we have in this world?"_

"_The length we can go back in time is gradually getting shorter…" explained Hanyuu. "This is all we can do with our power now.."_

_**Hanyuu then changes the world's time to much later in June.**__ Rika was in her nightgown in her room with Hanyuu. She was on the phone._

"_Ooishi? I just received an anonymous phone call."_

"_An anonymous phone call?" Ooishi asked._

"_Yes, someone said that they were going to kill me. Perhaps it was the ones who killed Tomitake."_

"_I got it. I'll send an officer over. I will go to your place after I get back from Gifu."_

_She hung up the phone and said, "If I don't have anyone whom I can trust completely…"_

The group was going to object to Rika's statement, but realized that in the other worlds they couldn't be heard.

"_Rika-chan," said Keiichi from the doorway. She turned around, surprised, and saw the group in the doorway, looking at her, worry evident in their eyes._

"_What was that phone call just now?" asked Satoko._

"_What does it mean, that you will be killed?" asked Rena._

"_Just what are you doing?" demanded Mion._

"_It seems to me that you were always right…" said Shion_

_Rika stared at them, confused and upset._

"_Rika-chan," Keiichi said again._

"_Keiichi…Do you still think that date is something that can be broken?" asked Rika cautiously._

"_Of course…" he said confused._

"_I have never told this to any of you before…Thinking that I would get you involved after telling you this..." Rika said, stalling._

"_Why are you trying to hold back?" Mion asked desperately._

"_Aren't we allies?" asked Satoko, upset._

_Rika looked up at them, and then back down. "I understand…I'll tell you this. The Hinamizawa Syndrome…As well as the reason someone is trying to kill me…" They all sat down around the small table facing Rika. "On the grounds of Hinamizawa…There is a local disease. This is known as Hinamizawa Syndrome."  
><em> 

"_Local disease?" asked Rena._

"_I've never heard of that…" said Mion._

"_No one in the village knows about it," Rika explained seriously. "The first time this sickness was uncovered was back during the war. Those soldiers who were sent to Hinamizawa… One by one, they started to act strangely. Once the sickness began, the person would begin to suspect others. He would see the people around him as enemies or villains… And would act violently as a result of the hallucinations. In the end, he would try to claw his throat out…resulting in death. And then…there are doctors who noticed the disease, and made research. According to the research, people who live in Hinamizawa are carriers of the disease. But, if you are living in Hinamizawa, no symptoms would be found, and you would be able to live normally. The requirements for the symptoms to develop…is to leave Hinamizawa. The huge amount of stress that builds up forces people into the hallucinations and makes them paranoid. At times, there seems to be rare chances where symptoms do not develop. But, once the symptoms develop…,you won't be able to recover. And there still isn't any way to recover completely. People in Hinamizawa have known this for a long time. Although back then people didn't know it was a disease. Instead, they thought it was Divine retribution. For example, legends of the demons coming out from the Onigafuchi Marshes and attacking people. This can be seen as a group of people with the symptoms developed. Resulting in a bloody struggle between the villagers. No matter if it's the legend that you would have your punishment after you angered Oyashiro-sama or the horrible interrogation for those who broke the rules…they are probably ways to control the disease. By making everyone scared of Oyashiro-sama, they can stop all the wars and struggles. This way, they won't suspect others, nor will they be stressed. And thus the amount of people with the symptoms developed decreased."_

"_Rika-chan," said Keiichi to get her attention, "you said you will be killed. Is there any relationship between that and what you talked about just now? Is it because you know about these secrets?"_

"_Just now I said the requirement for the symptoms to develop is to leave the land of Hinamizawa," Rika said, looking upset. "But that's not completely true. It's actually me who is maintaining everyone's stability." Everyone gasped and Rika looked serious instead of upset. "If someone leaves me, the symptoms of the Hinamizawa Syndrome will develop in that person. No matter when it is, among the patients of the disease, one "Infection Queen" would exist and that would be one of the Furudes. The "Infection Queen", like the Queen Bee, is able to release a special hormone. This kind of hormone could be used in the people around her to control their sickness. Perhaps the people from Hinamizawa could understand this, that's why they would value the Furude daughter so much."_

"That means we can be sick at any moment!" said Satoko, terrified at her thought.

Rika shook her head. "Only if I die before having a child or you leave Hinamizawa. That isn't too hard, right?" For the first time in a while, Rika smiled at them.

"Hold on," said Shion. "If Takano wanted to study the Syndrome, shouldn't she have kept you alive? The Syndrome's "hosts" would all die and only cause more death to those who enter Hinamizawa."

Rika looked a bit shocked and the laughed. "I never thought of that. That shows how smart Takano is."

Hanyuu smiled and said, "Rika, we only have more or five more places to go. Then we can go home."

"Alright then! Let's go!" shouted Mion. The others nodded in agreement, looking determined.

_**They next saw Satoko standing in front of Rika, trying to shield her from the uniformed men closing in on them.**__ Rika got up with a smug smile on her face and told the men that even though she knows who is the culprit behind everything, she is foolishly risking her life to protect Satoko since she believes fate can be beat. One of the men holds up a taser and is about to shoot it when Keiichi comes out and hits the back of his head with his bat. Rena then comes and hits another in the stomach with the blunt side of her machete. The two in the back are struck down by the twins; one being tased in the face the other being forced down. Shion then tases the other for good measure._

_**Then suddenly, many scenes flash by, only slow enough to see what was happening.**__ Keiichi wields a bat, ready to strike, but is shot down by Takano. Mion is leaning against a tree, Shion calling out to her, when she slumps down in a heap, back covered in blood. Rena faces Takano who is on higher ground, and is shot down. Shion is tied up next to the others' dead bodies, along with Rika, and Satoko, and shot in the head while pleading for Satoko's life. Satoko met the same fate as Shion after answering correctly to her question. Rika, laying in her common death spot near the shrine, surrounded by by the ghosts of everyone plus Hanyuu as her stomach is gutted out. Everyone with their hands stacked, in the purple dimension, convincing Hanyuu that she needs to join them to fight fate and creating a new crystal together._

"That's how you came here then," said Mion.

Rika nodded. "I had just given up when we started that world, but by the end, I was more determined than ever."

"Well of course you were! We were there to motivate you!" said Satoko.

"What else do you need to show us? Isn't the rest our world?" asked Rena.

"Mostly yes, but one is from the past and the rest are things you didn't see," explained Hanyuu.

A/N: Longest chapter so far and only one more chapter left! I know I've brought it up multiple times, but please look at the poll on my profile for The Potter Family, it's important for me to even tell if I will work on it after I finish this. Hope you see you in the final installment of Discovery!


	17. Chapter 17 (Final)

A/N: Hey everyone! Here's the last chapter of Discovery. I hope you all enjoy this and any other of my stories!

I want to dedicate this last chapter to Annoymas, who has loyally followed my story and reviewed more than any other reader on this story, and my other reviewers who have helped me improve and inspired me to continue writing this story.

_Text like this is from episodes or memory_

Text like this indicates normal speech outside of the people present in the memory or episode

_**Text like this indicates scene change within the watched episode or memory**_

**Text like this indicates scene change outside of memory or episode**

'Text within these are thoughts'

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"That's how you came here then," said Mion.

Rika nodded. "I had just given up when we started that world, but by the end, I was more determined than ever."

"Well of course you were! We were there to motivate you!" said Satoko.

"What else do you need to show us? Isn't the rest our world?" asked Rena.

"Mostly yes, but one is from the past and the rest are things you didn't see," explained Hanyuu.

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_**They next saw Takano trying to throw a coin into a well, only for it to bounce back onto her. **__Hanyuu appears, with red pupils, on the other side of the well, glaring at her. Hanyuu tells her that a strong will strengthens fate and Takano agrees. Hanyuu says she understands that they couldn't beat fate because of Takano's strong will. She yells that she won't lose to and that someone taught her that belief can cause a miracle to beat fate. Takano laughs and tells her to bring it on. She won't lose to her future and will become the goddess of the shrine._

_**The flash brought them to the schoolyard.**__ Rika and Hanyuu were sitting on a log pile near the building. Rika comments that Keiichi finally moved in. Hanyuu says that things would begin to change since Keiichi is their trump card. Rika says that Keiichi's miracles collapse at important times and it's all Hanyuu's fault so she needs to apologize. Rika becomes serious and says that they only collected the usual pieces and they need their last piece to beat Takano's will. Rika then says that she has lived a hundred years for this day._

"Rika," said Mion, "this all sounds just like that manga you asked us to help you write a while ago."

"Right!" said Keiichi. "You are one smart girl. You told us without really telling us and helped you beat Takano!"

Rika smiled. "Of course. Even without that, you all helped a lot."

"It's a good thing, we believed you after that though or we wouldn't have been able to help as much," said Rena smiling.

"Ugh, I miss so much when I'm not in the village!" groaned Shion.

_**Another quick scene of Shion looking at a bedridden Satoshi from behind glass while standing next to Dr. Irie. **__He says that Satoshi is still undergoing treatment so he can't be released. Then it flashed to them above ground in a corridor riddled with bullets from the fights with the Yamainu. Dr. Irie tells Shion that the Yamainu can't touch him._

_**The next scene is one during the final battle. **__Takano stands with one shoe and covered in scratches, tears and dirt. It's pouring rain and she stands looking up at Hanyuu who's on higher ground. Hanyuu's pupils are red again._

"_Child of man, what did you seek from this world?" Hanyuu asked her._

"_I just…" Takano explained as she began to cry. "I just wanted to be told…"it's okay to live. It's okay to be alive, as an individual." I just wanted someone to acknowledge me! And yet… why did it come to this…This is retribution for my sins, isn't it?" She raised the gun in her hand._

"_I am not human. I am one who stands above man. An existence that forgives man's sins. Sins of man cannot be forgiven by man. I, however, can forgive man. I can forgive thee," explained Hanyuu._

"_Impossible. It's too late," said Takano._

"Poor Takano-chan. She really isn't that bad when you think about it…" said Rena sadly.

"She gets treatment now!" said Satoko happily.

"Everyone," Hanyuu said, getting their attention, "we have only one more place to go. It's somewhere none of you know since Rika does this deed in the future."

"The…future?" said Rika shocked. "I didn't know you could go through time like that!"

Hanyuu just smiled and transported them to their final destination.

_**An older Rika stood above a fallen, younger version of Takano. **_

"W-wait a minute! That's not me! That's Frederica Bernkastel!" yelled Rika.

"No matter the name, she's still you Rika," Hanyuu said cheekily.

"Hanyuu!" Rika yelled angrily. "She may do this in the future, but it's not me! She's all the others!"

"The others?" asked Keiichi.

"Myself from every other world. She's all of them combined," said Rika, holding in her anger.

"Are there ones of us too?" asked Satoko.

Hanyuu shook her head. "No. Rika was aware in every world, so her conscious could combine, but none of you were aware, so your minds couldn't connect to any other like Rika's."

"_Do you want to live?" asked Frederica, standing like Rika when she uses her older voice. "Do you want to die?"_

_Young Takano looks up at her in confusion before answering, "I want to live."_

"_I see. Then go on ahead. Even if you go, though, your friend won't be there. Go on," Rika said._

_Takano looked disappointed. "She's not there? In that case I want to die."_

"_You'll get one more flag from the children's menu, you know," Rika said, amused at her statement._

"_Huh? Oh no fair!" She said, now angry. "Mommy and Daddy are gonna go to the department store without telling me. No fair, no fair!"_

"_You sure that's what you want, right? You won't regret it, right?" Rika asked, all amusement gone from her voice._

"_Why would I regret it?" Takano asked hesitantly._

"_I'm not going to tell you. I'm mean," She said, jokingly._

_First Takano looked upset, but brightened a second later. "Don't worry, one-chan. No matter what happens, Mommy and Daddy will be there with me!"_

_**The flash surrounded the area in the darkness that was night. **__Frederica stood near Takano's house, smiled when she heard the commotion inside and walked away._

"Takano's parents died in every world and she went to live with a kind man after she unsuccessfully tried to run away from an abuse foster home. This man discovered the disease, and when he died, Takano took over his research. Frederica likes to mess with the worlds and change things around. I thought you should see this side of Takano as well," explained Hanyuu. "And now, it's time to wake up."

Before any of them could ask what she meant, everything went black.

"It wasn't a dream, but you were asleep." Rika, Rena, Shion, Mion, Satoko, and Keiichi heard before they all jumped in their chairs. They looked around and saw they were in school. The other kids looked at them.

"Is everything alright?" asked Chie-sensei, concerned.

They looked at each other before nervously laughing and Keiichi saying, "Sorry, sensei. Everything's fine."

They all gave each other smiles before glancing at the still-sleeping Hanyuu who, unbeknownst to everyone, was finally relaxed and at peace with her new life.

Kitty - Thank you all for reading this story! I'm sorry it took me so long to finish it up, but I did finish it like promised. I hope you all enjoyed this story and any future stories I write.


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